Paul “Woody” Candish, 69, of Bradenton and formerly of Anna Maria, died Nov. 16.
He was born in Washington, D.C., on Valentine’s Day and raised at Sparrows Point, Maryland, at Fort Henry.
“Woody Candish was a man who embraced many different endeavors in life,” son Jessie wrote for his father’s notice.
In his adolescence, Mr. Candish enjoyed trapping and shooting guns. He won many marksmanship trophies and spent an immense amount of time in the woods — so much so that his parents nicknamed him “Woody.”
He developed a passion for hot-rod street-racing, which led to building and riding chopper motorcycles. He became a member of the Goose Motorcycle Club and Hells Angels were among his friends.
When the hippie era arrived, Mr. Candish was on board and lived in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district for several years.
His next adventure was in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he owned a store and carved intricate designs on leather products. This led him to move to St. Thomas to create jewelry.
He also took up sailing catamarans and a competitive nature led him to excel on the racing circuit.
In 1975, he moved to Anna Maria, where he worked in various positions for the Anna Maria Island Community Center for about 15 years. During this time, he coached children’s sports — soccer, baseball and softball — and devoted much time to youth causes.
After he parted ways with the center, he channeled his energy into art and became an independent artist. He worked in different mediums but his real love was metal sculpture.
From his studio/home on North Bay Boulevard, he started a holiday sale for his artist friends, which grew to such success it was halted by a complaint that it should be a permitted event. Undaunted, Candish brought his Christmas sale to The Islander office and, although he seldom took part, it was known as Woody’s Art Sale and many friends, including Linda Molto and Mark Alonso, took part every year.
He was extremely generous with his work, donating often to benefits and island events for nonprofits.
He once painted a car and shared a sledge hammer to smash it to raise funds for the Artists’ Guild.
In his final years, his passion was spiritual and his prayers and meditation were frequent.
“Woody, you are loved and missed by many,” son Jessie wrote. “Happy trails, Dad.”
A gathering of friends and family will be held 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria.
He is survived by son Jessie; daughter Lisa; grandson David; and good friends Gina Johnson, Donna Zacharias and Richard Thomas.
